1. Field of the Invention
The invention generally relates to a splash guard for a dental cuspidor. Specifically, the invention is a flexible, thin-film splash guard which conforms to the shape of a cuspidor attached to a dental chair assembly. The splash guard secures to the cuspidor in an adjustable and removable fashion via a pair of slots and adhesive strips disposed along one edge of the guard. The splash guard is sufficiently stiff when conformed to the shape of a cuspidor so as to form a vertically disposed wall which extends above the cuspidor.
2. Background
A visit to the dentist invariably requires a patient to drink a liquid, typically water, without swallowing so as to remove blood, saliva, debris, and dental compounds from the mouth of the patient. This mixture of liquids, with or without solids, is expectorated by the patient into a dental cuspidor, also referred to as a basin.
FIG. 1 shows an exemplary cuspidor 25 attached to a dental chair assembly 20. A typical dental chair assembly 20 could include a console 21 and one or more support arms 23, 24 attached to a base 22 in a movable fashion adjacent to an adjustable chair. Support arms 23, 24 are further attached to a lamp, tray, and/or table. The console 21 further includes a bowl-shaped cuspidor 25 with rinse tube 26 and fill tube 27. The fill tube 27 is used to fill a cup 28 with water. The cuspidor 25 has a drain for the removal and disposal of liquids and solids deposited therein.
The accurate deposit of liquids and solids from a patient's mouth into a cuspidor is complicated by various factors. For example, some patients find it difficult to control the direction and/or velocity of a liquid expelled from the mouth even under the most optimum of conditions. Other patients find it difficult to control the direction and/or velocity of a liquid stream expelled from the mouth after a local anesthetic has been administered to the mouth region. Yet other patients have difficulty controlling the direction and/or velocity of a liquid stream expelled from the mouth when in a reclined or semi-reclined position. In all instances, the inaccurate control of a liquid stream, with or without solids, results in at least some of the liquid never reaching or remaining in the cuspidor, thereby contacting and contaminating the floor, walls, furniture, equipment, and/or dental assistant immediately adjacent to the patient. Liquid which fails to reach or to remain in the cuspidor presents health and/or safety hazards, and in some instances could delay or prevent the reuse of a procedure room and equipment therein. Accordingly, dental practices expend substantial time and financial resources to the cleanup of such liquids.
Several patents from the related arts are noteworthy. Shields are not conformable to a variety of cuspidor sizes and shapes. Furthermore, the described shields are re-usable, therefore requiring cleaning after each use.
Lavine, U.S. Pat. No. 2,489,967, describes a shield including a semi-circular sheet of plastic stock attached to plastic hooks. The shield is inserted into the interior of a cuspidor and held in place by the hooks.
Oertel, U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,644,956 and 2,549,514, describes a saliva apron composed of metal or clay for attachment to the rim of a conventional dental bowl. The apron partially traverses the peripheral area of a bowl and extends therefrom to increase the width of a bowl.
Pieper, U.S. Pat. No. 2,021,518, describes a rigid splash guard constructed and adapted to protect a cup against a liquid expelled from a patient's mouth or splashed from a cuspidor.
As is readily apparent from the discussions above, the related arts do not include a flexible, thin-film splash guard which is readily conformable to the shape and size of a cuspidor, easily attachable to a cuspidor in a removable fashion, and disposable after at least one use.
Accordingly, what is required is a flexible thin-film splash guard capable of preventing a liquid, with or without solids, from missing or otherwise splashing from a dental cuspidor.